::::: about the author: Marjorie Dickinson :::::
Marjorie Dickinson’s untitled poem was selected as one of our three poetry winners this year. This poem was written about four years ago, depicting herself and her older sister at about ages five and nine. Marjorie often writes from memories, which she describes as “the richest fodder” for her work. As she gets older, she continues to draw on the “pre-verbal person that was me.”
An early sign that Marjorie would be a writer occurred when she was about seven years old and wrote a piece called “Fog” for her sister, who was always on the typewriter and acted as a judge for Marjorie’s work. When asked about her writing process, she explains, “it comes in spurts. I hear things . . . I get phrases in my head . . . I get hooked.” Though she has written some short stories and a couple of short plays, she says that her pieces have become even shorter, “more clipped,” over the years.
Her first manuscript, Intra Muros (“Between Walls”), has recently been completed, and she is looking for a publisher. A series of Marjorie’s own etchings complements the poems.
Marjorie has a strong foundation in writing, languages, and the arts. She comes from a writerly environment: her parents both have a B.A. in English, her brother-in-law writes for television, and there are already two people with MFAs in the family. Marjorie herself has a B.A. in French Literature from Barnard College in New York; she is currently enrolled at FCCJ to take some pre-requisites for the degree in naturopathic medicine she will eventually complete in Arizona. Her writing talents were developed through a few poetry workshops, a short story writing course, and her senior thesis project at Barnard. Other prizes include the “Isabelle Dewyeza Prize” for best French composition and some art awards as a student at Episcopal High School here in Jacksonville. You can see photos and some of Marjorie’s wonderful artwork at: www.marjoriedickinson.blogspot.com.
Marjorie’s advice to developing writers: “have a drawer where you can put things…come back and see it later…let it marinate.”
"about the author" content provided by Laura Jeffries